About the Book

This innovative and long-awaited catalogue raisonné brings together, for the first time, all the known paintings on canvas and panel of California-born abstract expressionist Sam Francis (1923–1994) and offers a comprehensive chronicle of his artistic journey. One of the twentieth century’s leading interpreters of light and color, Francis maintained studios not only in New York and Los Angeles, but also in Paris, Bern, and Tokyo, making his reach truly international.

Elegantly boxed, the Sam Francis catalogue raisonné includes a richly illustrated book with informative texts and two DVDs with authoritative entries for the canvas and panel paintings in an easily browsable, groundbreaking format. It offers the ultimate reference on this artist and a vital research tool.

• Color images and documentation for all 1,850-plus paintings on canvas and panel by Francis (hundreds reproduced for the first time) on two DVDs

• A lavish book with an extended essay by Francis scholar William C. Agee and a biographical timeline by catalogue raisonné editor Debra Burchett-Lere

• Rare footage of Francis at work, writings by the artist, and descriptions of his studios and techniques

About the Author

Debra Burchett-Lere is Director and Curator of the Sam Francis Foundation. William Agee, Evelyn Kranes Kossak Professor of Art History at Hunter College, City University of New York, is coauthor of Coming of Age: American Art, 1850s to 1950s, author of Sam Francis: Paintings 1947-1990, and contributor to many books, including Patrick Henry Bruce, American Modernist: A Catalogue Raisonné.

Reviews

“Though Sam Francis developed paintings of monumental scale with all-over patterns of monochrome color just a few years after the initial triumph of the Abstract-Expressionists, he did so in Paris. During his eight years there, he evolved as one of the most masterful painters of the 20th century, but being away from New York undermined the critical reception for his work. In the years since, the writing and scholarship has rarely measured up to his stature. That begins to change with the recent University of California Press publication.”—Artnet Magazine

“Bringing together a “coffee table” book with the functionality of a digital archive has created a remarkable hybrid catalogue.”—Artdaily

“I have been looking through the recently issued "Sam Francis: Catalogue Raisonné of Canvas and Panel Paintings, 1946 - 1994," and finding myself wowed by the inventiveness, nimble brushwork, and sumptuous color of Francis' works. . . . Because Francis worked and exhibited all over the world, his paintings have been scattered, and the Catalogue Raisonné, is an opportunity to savor works -- more than 1,850 paintings on canvas and panels -- that have been scattered across the globe. Prior to the publication of the CR, more than 600 of the works had not previously been documented.”—Huffington Post